Parks overflow as southerners escape rat race for Coast

Parks overflow as southerners escape rat race for Coast

Bill HoffmanWhether taking on developers hell-bent on destroying the Coast’s natural appeal or a Prime Minister indifferent to the plight of the poor, Bill Hoffman has never been one to mince his words. Bill’s been a journalist for 32 years, 29 of those on the Coast. Love him or hate him, he'll get you blogging.

Thirty-five of 97 non-powered sites were also booked. The prime Mooloolaba Beach Holiday Park is currently closed for major renovations.

For Blackburn, Victoria, residents Tony and Jan Doria the drive north has become an annual ritual observed for the past 15 years.

What started as a tag-along, try-and-see with friends heading to Mudjimba, has now become two and half months of every year for the couple who serve on the executive of the Knox Caravan and Camping Club.

Such is their love of a place they say "feels like home" every time they arrive, that they have become enthusiastic promoters of the region, encouraging 12 of the club members to visit two years ago with another six here this year.

Jan said their first visit had been for two weeks with friends who had been raving about a little place called Mudjimba they had never heard of. Now retired, that first trip has expanded to two-and-a-half months a year.

The weather is a big attraction and the location has become a base for exploration into a hinterland with which they are now familiar.

"We go home and tell everyone they should go up to Mudjimba," Jan said with a laugh. "It's fantastic. Everyone's so friendly, the beautiful, beautiful beach. We like it here in Mudjimba because it's out of the rat race."